


Never Leave Castiel Unsupervised on Netflix

by deaniewithalittleweanie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas fic, First Kiss, Implication of sex but no actual description, M/M, Mistletoe, This was part of a gift exchange on tumblr, Traumatized Sam, admitting feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 04:03:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17358584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deaniewithalittleweanie/pseuds/deaniewithalittleweanie
Summary: (Set in season 9, Cas is freshly human but is never sent away) Castiel is trying to figure out how to be human, and one of his favorite ways of studying human behavior is to watch Netflix. The Christmas season comes around and suddenly he's seen every Christmas movie on Netflix, and unfortunately has stumbled upon Hallmark Christmas movies. With this new information, he's ready to face the holiday season and bring Dean along for the ride.





	Never Leave Castiel Unsupervised on Netflix

Dean Winchester had very few good memories surrounding Christmas. He vaguely remembered a family Christmas the year before his mom died. He could barely remember the tree, opening presents, and Mary being pregnant with Sam. The Christmas after that was a little more than a month after Mary died, and they had just hit the road. John had begun his search for what had killed Mary, so Christmas came and passed without any kind of celebration or even acknowledgement of the holiday. 

 

There were a few times as a young child that he and Sam exchanged presents. Dean had broken into houses and stores just to get something for Sam to open. In adulthood, they didn’t really mention Christmas. The last time Dean could remember really celebrating the holiday was the Christmas before he went to hell. That was a fond memory of his. It was painful to think about sometimes. Sam was trying so hard to make it a happy occasion, but in the back of their minds, the fact that Dean was going to die lingered like a storm cloud in the distance. So, overall, Dean didn’t have much of a positive look on Christmas, or the holidays in general.

 

Ever since Castiel became human, he was very interested in human culture and traditions. He usually followed Dean’s examples through everything. It got to a point that he was being a little annoying. He followed Dean everywhere, even on hunts, despite Dean’s protest. They managed to fall into a routine for a little while, which seemed to put Dean at ease. It wasn’t until Castiel started having nightmares that things got a little disrupted. The angel had been watching a few too many romantic movies, so his first reaction to having a nightmare was to go to Dean’s room and climb into his bed. As soon as he got onto the bed, Dean shot up to a sitting position, gun in hand. When he saw that it was just Castiel, he just tiredly explained to him that he shouldn’t scare him like that, but he never sent Castiel back to his room. They slept for the rest of the night in the same bed. There were several nights of this before one morning, they were cuddled up to each other. Dean was grumpy for the rest of the morning. 

 

The weather started to cool down as winter approached. Castiel’s Netflix account started suggesting Christmas movies. Castiel knew very well what Christmas was, given that he was alive during the actual birth of Christ. What he didn’t know was the current culture surrounding the holiday. The first movie Netflix suggested to him was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Jim Carrey version. That movie was extremely confusing. The next movie he watched was on cable, and it was The Santa Clause. After that was when he discovered the Hallmark Channel. It was all downhill from there. 

 

Dean was out on a supply run for food. Castiel has asked to come with him, which wasn’t out of the norm. Dean walked up and down the aisles of the Walmart, adding food and other essentials to the cart. He thought Castiel was right behind him, but when he turned around to ask if he needed more socks, he realized that he was gone. He spun in a circle, but Castiel was nowhere to be found. 

 

“Cas? Cas?” He abandoned the cart to look around, hand hovering over his back, where his pistol was tucked into his jeans. He spotted Castiel’s trench coat across the store. He ran over and saw Castiel with a cart of his own. Inside was a box for an eight foot tall pre-lit Christmas tree, a pile of various ornaments, and dozens of little decorations. Dean stared at the cart. “Uhhhh, Cas? What the hell is all of this?”

 

“We haven’t decorated the bunker.”

 

“Do you remember us ever decorating the bunker? We don’t exactly celebrate.”

 

Castiel furrowed his brows. “You should. I believe if we decorate properly and we are of the right mind, we will be given presents.”

 

Dean blinked and stared. “What? By who?”

 

“Santa.”

 

Dean could not believe what he was hearing. He left Castiel alone with Netflix for three days and now he was going to have to tell a million-year-old celestial being that Santa isn’t real. “Cas, buddy, in your life, have you ever  _ met  _ Santa?”

 

“No. I’ve never been to the North Pole.”

 

Dean sighed. “Have you ever seen any evidence of him, or heard about him from other angels?”

 

Castiel frowned. “No.”

 

Dean put his hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Those movies are usually meant for kids. Parents tell their kids that Santa brings them presents on Christmas. There’s hundreds of movies about it. There’s folklore around the world about some version of Santa, but he’s not real. We’ve come across a few things that impersonate him, but the actual Santa you see in American movies doesn’t exist.”

 

Castiel looked disappointed and his shoulders slumped a little. “I have seen the folklore, particularly the legends from Scandinavia. I suppose that’s what led me to be more gullible. I’ll put this back.”

 

Dean couldn’t help but feel bad when he saw Castiel’s reaction. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to put some decorations up. “Hey, wait, let’s just tone it down a bit. We can put some stuff up, just maybe not this much. We’ll get some ornaments and lights, and we’ll go find a tree and chop it down.” The way Castiel’s eyes lit up when he heard that made Dean’s heart skip a beat. 

 

By the time they made it back to the bunker, they had an array of ornaments, lots of tinsel, lights, a tree stand, and a star for the tree. Castiel seemed slightly offended when Dean suggested an angel on top. Little did Dean know, Castiel had snuck in a fake sprig of mistletoe. The Hallmark movies had given him a few ideas that may or may not have been appropriate for his and Dean’s current relationship, which was nothing more than a (possibly too close) friendship. 

 

Dean took Castiel out to the woods behind the bunker, axe in hand. “Alright, Cas. Go find a tree.”

 

Castiel looked around, seeking out the perfect tree. There weren’t a lot of spruce or fir trees in the woods, but after walking for a little while, he spotted a fir tree that was slightly taller than he was. It looked just like the ones he had seen in the movies. He pointed and looked back at Dean. “This one.”

 

Dean nodded, looking over the tree. “Nice find.” he walked over and started chopping. The trunk wasn’t very wide, so within five swings, the tree fell. Dean grabbed the trunk and started pulling the tree along. When he looked at Castiel, he noticed that the former angel was blushing and staring. “You good, man?”

 

Castiel blinked and looked away. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay, let’s just get this tree set up.” He dragged the tree all the way back to the door of the bunker. “Can you pick up the other end? Don’t want needles all over the floor.”

 

Castiel nodded and picked up the other end. He had a little bit of difficulty, but he was fine. Adjusting to having what was probably less than average human strength after spending his entire life with unimaginable strength. He followed Dean to the main room and placed the tree in the corner. He helped lift it upright while Dean placed the trunk of the tree in the stand. He looked at the tree and nodded in approval. “I’ll go put up the other decorations.” He picked up their bag from Walmart and started carrying it through the bunker to put up the few little things they had. He passed Sam on his way to the hall. 

 

Sam saw the bag Castiel was carrying and spotted some Christmas-y items in it. He was even more surprised when he got to the main room, and on the other side of the long table, in the corner, he saw Dean putting lights on a tree. “Dean? What are you doing?”

 

“Hm? Oh, I’m just decorating this tree.”

 

“I can see that. Why? Since when do we put up a Christmas tree?”

 

“Since I left Cas unsupervised on Netflix. I had to tell him that Santa isn’t real.”

 

Sam blinked. “Wait, he thought Santa was real, for his whole life?”

 

“I don’t think so. I think he just saw all of those movies and that’s what he got from them. He looked sad, so I told him that we could put up a tree. He had an entire cart full of crap to put up, so I just helped him dial it back...a lot. So we cut down a tree and now we’re putting up some decorations.”

 

Sam nodded. “Hm. Nice. You exchanging presents?”

 

Dean shrugged. “Should we? Christmas is in two days.”

 

Sam shrugged as well. “It’s been what, six years since we’ve given each other anything? We could just get something to open. Cas is probably imagining a morning with lots of gifts.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll just go out again tomorrow and find something. Maybe you could take Cas.”

 

Sam nodded. “Sure.” he picked up the tinsel and started hanging it from the branches of the tree. He had never actually done this before. It felt nice, but like it was missing something. He pulled out his phone and found a Spotify playlist of Christmas music. He hit play and set his phone on the table.

 

“Really? Mariah Carey?”

 

“It’s the first one that played. Just shut up and enjoy it.” 

 

Castiel returned with a now empty Walmart bag and smiled a little when he heard the music. He started picking up the red and green baubles for the tree and hanging them from the branches. He smiled up at the tree when Dean plugged in the lights and the star.

 

Dean looked at Castiel, and he couldn’t help but crack a smile as well. Ever since Castiel became human, he had the brightest smile when something made him happy. As he stared at the lights, Dean could see his eyes shining in the brightest blue he had ever seen. He couldn’t stop looking at him. He had adorable crow’s feet around his eyes, and he loved how his smile was always a little cocked to the side. He finally snapped out of his stupor when the music turned off and Sam had slipped out of the room. Then he realized that Castiel was staring back at him. His usually bottled up and shoved down feelings had risen to the surface and he wasn’t sure what to do with them.

 

Castiel had seen this before. In every Hallmark movie, there was a moment where the couple would stare at each other for a few seconds before kissing. Castiel blinked and stared at Dean’s lips. Meg kissed him once, he could do this. This is what was supposed to happen, right? Too late to consider now. He was doing it. He leaned in and closed his eyes, kissing Dean’s lips.

 

Dean’s eyes were blown wide. This wasn’t happening, it had to be a dream. There was no way Castiel was kissing him. No time for thinking, even if it was a dream, it was a damn good one. He closed his eyes and kissed back, his hand coming up to cup the ex-angel’s cheek. When he pulled back, he was almost afraid to open his eyes. This couldn’t be real. He was going to open his eyes and wake up in bed. 

 

“Dean?”

 

Dean finally opened his eyes, and everything was the same. Castiel was still there, eyes shining from the tree lights beside him. “I-uh…”

 

“I’m sorry. I just thought…”

 

“No! It’s okay! I just...This is a lot, y’know?”

 

“I suppose...We have known each other for five years.” 

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah...Have you thought about doing that the whole time?”

 

Castiel thought for a moment. “I think the feeling was always there, but it was harder for me to comprehend before I was human. Now, it’s powerful and ever-present. I can’t stop thinking about it most days. That’s partially why I’ve come to your room a few times. The first time, it really was a nightmare, but I just felt...alone. Being closer to you feels better.”

 

Dean was taken aback. This was more than he ever expected, but good god he wasn’t going to complain. He had been ignoring strong feelings of attraction (and potentially the L-word) towards Castiel and to hear it was reciprocated was enough for him to let those emotions free. All it took for Castiel to come clean was Netflix and Hallmark Christmas movies. Never in his life did he think he would be thankful for Hallmark movies. “Cas, you know I’m not good with words, but all I can say is that you’re not alone in feeling that way.”

 

“I know.”

 

Dean blinked. “What? You know?”

 

“I could read your mind for five years. I knew. I also knew that you were doing everything you could to hide those feelings, so I thought you didn’t want to feel this way. I never said anything in fear of upsetting you.”

 

Dean stared for a moment. He shook his head and took Castiel’s hand. “It’s not that I didn’t want to feel that way, I was just...scared. I’ve never felt like this before, Cas.”

 

Castiel nodded. “What can I do to help?”

 

“Just...let’s just see where this goes. We’ll just go at our pace and figure this out together. I want this work, more than anything.”

 

Castiel nodded. “I do too.” He thought for a moment. “Come with me.” He took Dean’s hand and started leading him down the halls.

 

“Where are we going?” Dean stopped when Castiel did, right under his bedroom door frame. “What are we doing?” He watched as Castiel looked up, so he followed his gaze and found a cheap, fake piece of mistletoe hanging from the top of the frame. Dean burst into laughter. “Oh my god, you are a massive dork.” he smiled at Castiel before kissing him again.

  
  


On Christmas morning, Sam was still unaware of Dean and Castiel’s confession. He knew that there was at least an awkward stare, which he left in the middle of to avoid seeing anything he didn’t want to see. He woke up early on Christmas and got out of bed. He walked by Dean;s bedroom, and that’s when he heard it. There was a creaking sound and the sound of a bed hitting the wall. He started sprinting away as soon as he heard his brother moaning “fuck me harder.” 

 

Sam drank his coffee, trying to erase that sound from his mind, but it was impossible. Why? Why did he have to find out about this through hearing his brother and friend bumping uglies at seven am? He sent a sharp glare across the room when Castiel and Dean entered. 

 

Dean looked at Sam, and immediately knew what had happened. He thought he had heard footsteps outside the door. “Uhhhh, Merry Christmas?”

 

Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m happy for you, but I would have preferred to find out some other way.”

 

Castiel nodded. “Sorry, Sam. Would opening presents improve your mood?”

 

Sam chuckled. He knew how excited Castiel was about the presents. “Sure.” He got up and followed the other two into the main room. There were six wrapped presents under the tree, two for each person. They all sat around the tree and opened up what they got for each other.

 

Sam got a new coffee mug with a moose on it from Castiel. He expected something stupid like skin mags or some kind of prank gift from Dean, but he ended up opening a new book on Norse legends and lore, which was both useful for hunting, and something Sam was interested in. Castiel opened his gifts next. He got a few nice, comfortable t-shirts from Sam, which he appreciated greatly. As a human, wearing a suit and trench coat everyday was either hot, or just uncomfortable. From Dean, he got a pistol, which Dean promised to teach him how to use, so that they could hunt together. Dean opened his presents last. Sam had given him a cookbook full of burger recipes. Castiel gave him a gift card to a local bakery that made fantastic pies. 

 

Dean spent years thinking that Christmas was pointless. It was never happy for him, and sometimes it was a painful reminder that his life wasn’t normal. This year, he made some of his best memories. He loved what Sam had given him, and he liked Castiel’s present too, but nothing would ever compare to the gift of being able to set himself free of the mental prison that hid his feelings for his best friend. Holding him, kissing him, touching him, and loving Castiel were the greatest gifts this year, and possibly the greatest gifts in his life so far. 


End file.
